Tenders and Turntables
Tenders and Turntables is the fifteenth episode of the first season. In the US, this episode aired on the Shining Time Station episodes Whistle While You Work in 1989 and Schemer's Robot in 1993. Plot Life has been harder at the yard since Thomas left to run his branch line. With no tank engine to shunt or fetch coaches for them, Henry, James, and Gordon must shunt in the sidings and fetch their own coaches which soon makes them cross. In addition, while Thomas, being a tank engine, does not need a turntable, the larger tender engines do, as it is dangerous for them to go backwards too fast. One windy afternoon, Gordon arrives at the other end of the line with his train and heads for the turntable. The turntable is by the sea, so the wind is very strong and unless an engine is perfectly balanced on the turntable, it becomes difficult to turn. Gordon is in a bad mood and is unable to get perfectly balanced, and neither his driver nor fireman can get him to cooperate. After trying again and again, they give up and he is forced to pull his next train tender first. When Gordon arrives at the junction, a group of boys joke around and taunt him by calling him a tank engine. Thomas, who is waiting at the junction, laughs and suggests that Gordon should "scrap his tender and get a nice bunker." James flies by with his train and laughs as well. Gordon warns James that he may also stick on the turntable, but he claims that he won't because he is "not so fat as him." When James gets to the sheds; he carefully lines up on the turntable, allowing it to move very easily. But the strong wind has other ideas and begins to spin James around like a top. Gordon arrives just in time to see the whole thing. When the turntable finally stops spinning, James backs into the shed looking rather sick, dizzy and humiliated. That night, Gordon, James, and Henry hold an indignation meeting. They decide it would be best, after the day's events, to go on strike. Characters * Thomas * Henry * Gordon * James * The Little Boys * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak) * Sir Topham Hatt (does not speak) * Bertie (cameo) Locations * Vicarstown Sheds * Tidmouth Sheds * Elsbridge Trivia * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Troublesome Engines. * James' whistle after being spun on the turntable is absent in both Ringo Starr versions, but can be heard in all other versions. * Two freeze frames are used when Thomas talks to Gordon about pulling his train backwards and when James is in the shed by himself. * A reference to Thomas and the Breakdown Train is made in this episode. * A behind the scenes photo from this episode shows that the Marklin engine was used. Goofs * When the engines say, "We get no rest! We get no rest!" there are two orange coaches behind Henry. But in the next scene when the coaches say, "You're lazy and slack! You're lazy and slack!" Henry is coupled up to three coaches. * When the narrator says, "The big stations at both ends of the line..." Henry is shunting the same coaches as he was when James came past shunting his. Also, the first coach behind Henry seems to have a dented roof. * James' brake coach is backwards when he rushes through Elsbridge. * In the close-up of James spinning on the turntable a crewmember's face is reflected in his paintwork. * When the turntable stops spinning it connects the last berth on the right, but when James reverses the turntable leads to the middle line. * When Thomas and Gordon are at Elsbridge, Clarabel is facing forwards and Gordon's left (viewer perspective right) buffer is wonky. Also both of their puffing noises are heard before they start to move. * When James spins on the turntable, the trees in the background are not blowing even when the narrator says there is wind. * When James puffs onto the turntable, he is facing towards the sheds but in the closeup of him as the turntable turns, he is facing away from the sheds. Merchandise * Magazine Stories - Tenders and Turntables In Other Languages Home Media Releases Gallery File:TendersandTurntablesUKtitlecard.png|Original title card File:TendersandTurntables1985UKtitlecard.jpg|1985 UK title card File:TendersandTurntablesrestoredtitlecard.jpg|Restored title card File:TendersTurntablesUSVHStitlecard.png|1992 US title card File:TendersandTurntablesUStitlecard.png|1998 US title card File:TendersandTurntables1991NewZealandtitlecard.jpg|1991 New Zealand title card File:TendersandTurntablesWelshtitlecard.jpg|Welsh title card File:TendersandTurntablesSlovenianTitleCard.png|Slovenian Title Card File:TendersandTurntablesFinnishtitlecard.jpg|Finnish title card File:TendersandTurntablesNewJapaneseTitleCard.jpeg|Japanese title card File:TendersandTurntablesKoreantitlecard.jpg|Korean title card File:TendersandTurntablesSpanishTitleCard.JPG|Spanish title card File:TendersandTurntablesPortugueseTitleCard.jpg|Brazilian Portuguese Title Card File:TendersandTurntablesItalianTitleCard.png|Italian Title Card File:TendersandTurntablesGermanTitleCard.jpg|German Title Card File:TendersandTurntablesHebrewTitleCard.jpg|Hebrew Title Card File:Marklin.jpg|A behind the scenes photo from this episode File:TendersandTurntables1.png|Henry and Gordon File:TendersandTurntables2.png File:TendersandTurntables3.png File:TendersandTurntables4.png File:TendersandTurntables5.png File:TendersandTurntables6.png File:TendersandTurntables7.png File:TendersandTurntables8.png File:TendersandTurntables12.png|Thomas File:TendersandTurntables13.png File:TendersandTurntables14.png|Thomas and Gordon File:TendersandTurntables15.png File:TendersandTurntables16.png File:TendersandTurntables17.png File:TendersandTurntables18.png File:TendersandTurntables19.png File:TendersandTurntables20.png File:TendersandTurntables21.png File:TendersandTurntables22.png File:TendersandTurntables23.png File:TendersandTurntables24.png File:TendersandTurntables25.png File:TendersandTurntables26.png File:TendersandTurntables27.png File:TendersandTurntables28.png File:TendersandTurntables29.png File:TendersandTurntables30.png File:TendersandTurntables31.png File:TendersandTurntables32.png File:TendersandTurntables33.png File:TendersandTurntables34.png File:TendersandTurntables35.png File:TendersandTurntables36.png File:TendersandTurntables37.png File:TendersandTurntables38.png File:TendersandTurntables9.png File:TendersandTurntables10.jpg File:TendersandTurntables11.png Episode File:Tenders and Turntables - British Narration|UK Narration File:Tenders and Turntables - Ringo Starr American Narration|Ringo Starr US Narration File:Tenders and Turntables - George Carlin American Narration|George Carlin Narration Category:Season 1 episodes Category:Episodes